OC-14-4A (ОЦ-14-4А) is a Russian bullpup fully automatic assault rifle chambered for the 9 x 39 mm subsonic round. It was developed in the early 1990s by the CKIB SOO (Central Design Bureau of Sporting and Hunting Weapons) in Tula, Russia and it is manufactured by the Tula Arms Plant. The weapon is also colloquially known as OC-14 "Groza" (Гроза Thunderstorm), OTs-14 "Groza" and "Groza-4". The OC-14-4A has one derivative, the TKB-0239 (ТКБ-0239), also known as "Groza-1". It is chambered for the 7.62 x 39 mm round.

History

Work on the OC-14-4A project began in December 1992.^[1] The weapon's chief designers were Valery Telesh, responsible for the GP-25 and GP-30 under-barrel grenade launchers, and Yuri Lebedev. The team set out to design an integrated system that would incorporate all the best features of a close combat arm into a single weapon using the AKS-74U as a starting platform. Prototypes were ready for testing in less than a year and the weapon was ready for production by early 1994. It was first presented to the public at the MILIPOL Moscow trade show in April 1994 and adopted by the Interior Ministry (MVD) shortly thereafter. The success of the OC-14-4A in the hands of MVD personnel brought it to the attention of the Ministry of Defence, who also had a requirement for such a weapon. After a period of testing, the weapon was adopted for Spetsnaz forces and some airborne and specialist front-line combat units such as combat engineers. The weapon was originally intended to have used any one of four cartridges: 5.45 x 39 mm, 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, 7.62 x 39 mm or 9 x 39 mm. That idea was dropped and the assault rifle was originally chambered in 9 x 39 mm to meet the MVD's requirement for a close combat weapon for deployment in Chechnya.

Design details

Operating mechanism

The OC-14-4A is a small arms weapon system based on the 5.45 x 39 mm AKS-74U carbine. It is a selective fire, air-cooled magazine-fed rifle with a gas-actuated piston operating system and a rotary bolt locking mechanism.

Features

The OC-14-4A shares a 75% component commonality with the AKS-74U. The basic components of the weapon are borrowed directly from the AKS-74U assault rifle and slightly modified, simplifying the design as a whole and making the weapon considerably cheaper. The weapon has modular design allowing for assembly of one of four weapon versions depending on the assigned mission. It is configured in a bullpup layout for increased portability and balance. The grip is displaced forward, making the assault rifle compact, suitable for concealed carrying and so well balanced that it can be fired using just one hand, like a pistol.

The weapon fires from a closed bolt and has a hammer-type firing mechanism. A fire mode selector is provided which also serves as a manual safety catch. The assault rifle is equipped with iron sights contained in the carrying handle that consist of an adjustable rear aperture sight on a tangent leaf with range graduations from 50 to 200 m, and a forward post. The grenade launcher is aimed using a folding leaf sight. The weapon will also accept several optical sights, including the PSO or PSO-1 telescopic sights which mount directly onto the carrying handle or, as on early models, onto a bracket on the left side of the receiver housing. The OC-14-4A also has a night sight dovetail that will accept all standard night vision optics.

Accessories

It is issued in an aluminum transport case with equipment and accessories for a wide array of tactical situations. Included in the case are two different grip and trigger assemblies, one for use with the modified GP-25/30 grenade launcher and another for use when the launcher is detached. When the grenade launcher is installed, the combined rifle and grenade launcher is operated with a single trigger. A selector switch on left side of the grip near the trigger guard allows the user to select between rifle or grenade barrels. When the grenade launcher is detached, it is replaced by a vertical grip. A suppressor is also included in the standard kit, as is a quick-change short barrel for use with the suppressor or for when maximum compactness is desired.

Variants

• OC-14-4A - standard variant with a grenade launcher
• OC-14-4A-01 - with a front hand grip
• OC-14-4A-02 - without additional devices
• OC-14-4A-03 - with a suppressor and a telescopic sight

See also

• 9A-91
• AK-9
• AS
• OC-12
• SR-3
• VSK-94
• VSS

References

• EnemyForces.com
• Modern Firearms
• http://weapon.at.ua/load/321-1-0-815
• Стрелковое оружие России (Small arms of Russia)

Bibliography

• Cutshaw, Charlie (1998). The New World of Russian Small Arms & Ammo. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. ISBN 0-87364-993-1. 

External links

• OC-14-4A
• OC-14-4A-01
• OC-14-4A-02
• OC-14-4A-03